ACLU of Utah Membership Business

ACLU of Utah Membership Business

The ACLU of Utah is made up of two entities with separate funds, accounting, and bylaws. The first entity is the ACLU of Utah Union, an IRS 501(c)(4) organization that can participate in lobbying and other activities. The Union is comprised of its “card-carrying” members, who carry out certain organizational business like approving the basic bylaws, overseeing financial expenditures, and voting on nominations to the ACLU of Utah Union Board of Directors. The second entity is the ACLU of Utah Foundation, an IRS 501(c)(3) organization that engages in litigation, public education, and very limited lobbying activities. At the ACLU of Utah, the executive officers of the ACLU of Utah Union Board of Directors serve as the governing board of the ACLU of Utah Foundation. This year, we have two items of business for the ACLU of Utah Union membership:

1. Approval of BylawsThe Executive Committee of the ACLU of Utah Union Board of Directors has recommended a revision of the ACLU of Utah Union bylaws. These revisions incorporate past bylaws and more accurately reflect actual practice. We are asking for a membership vote and approval of the Revised Bylaws of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, 2005. These proposed bylaws must be accepted or rejected as a whole.

The details of the proposed bylaw changes are as follows:

• The maximum number of directors on the board changes from 15 to 20.• A quorum is defined as a simple majority rather than as a fixed number.• The term for board members changes from 2 years to 3 years.• The Executive Committee, which was made up of the four board officers (president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer) and an at-large director, increases to include the representative to the national ACLU board and the director of the Legal Panel.• Any reference to state chapters includes a caveat “if chapters exist.”

In order to take effect, the proposed bylaws must be approved by two-thirds of the membership who choose to vote and then certified by the full Board of Directors following the vote. The proposed bylaws are available online atwww.acluutah.org/bylaws.htm. Please call us at (801) 521-9862 ext 101 if you would like us to mail you a hard copy.

2. Elections for the ACLU of Utah Union Board of DirectorsThe Executive Committee, acting in its capacity as the ACLU of Utah Nominating Committee, has selected the following individuals to serve on the ACLU of Utah Union Board of Directors: Jennifer Allred, Karen Denton, Jason Lewis, David Tundermann, and Laurie Wood. Membership on the board requires that each director be a member of the ACLU of Utah Union and support the principles of the organization; participate fully in the development and implementation of policies established by the Board of Directors; accept responsibility, in collaboration with the ACLU of Utah’s executive director, for fund-raising; and determine and approve, upon recommendation of the Legal Panel and staff attorney, the ACLU of Utah’s docket.